Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Daniel Gunnarsson played in one game in AllSvenskan (Sweden's second league) as a 17-year-old while skating for Leksands' U20 and U18 teams. He also played for Vastmanland in Sweden's TV-Pucken tournament for high school-aged players. Gunnarsson had no points or penalty minutes in his only men's game with Leksands. In 14 games for third-place Leksands U20, he scored 2 goals with 3 assists and was plus-11 with six penalty minutes. In eleven games with Leksands U18, including three playoff games, he was plus-two and had 3 goals with 2 assists. In eight games for Vastmanland he had 1 goal with 5 assists and 8 penalty minutes.

2010-11: Gunnarsson played in 14 men's games – playing nine games in Allsvenskan with Leksands and five games on loan with Division 1 Falu IF – and was one of the top defensemen for Leksands U20 team. He was scoreless with no penalty minutes in five regular season games for Leksands, which finished fourth in AllSvenskan. Gunnarsson played in four of six games during the Kval playoffs and was plus-two with 2 penalty minutes. Playing for last-place Falu IF in the Division 1 C division, he had 3 assists and was an even plus/minus with 4 penalty minutes. In 38 games with Leksands U20 team he led all defensemen in points and penalty minutes; scoring 3 goals with 10 assists and finishing plus-12 with 51 penalty minutes.

2011-12: Gunnarson played for Lulea in the Elitserien as a 19-year-old rookie and gained some international experience representing Sweden at both the men's team and U20 levels. Averaging just under nine minutes of ice time in 46 regular season games with Lulea, he scored 3 goals with 4 assists and was plus-six with 8 penalty minutes. Lulea had the league's best record before being upset by AIK in the first round of the playoffs. In the five-game playoff series Gunnarsson was minus-one with no points or penalty minutes. In six games with Lulea's U20 team he scored 2 goals with 1 assist and was plus-five with 8 penalty minutes. In seven international games for Sweden, including four men's contests, he scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was plus-two but he did not play in the world championship tournaments. In his second year of eligibility for the NHL Draft, Gunnarsson was not among the 140 European skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings but was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (128th overall).

2012-13: Gunnarsson was a teammate of fellow Wild prospect goalie Johan Gustafsson with Lulea in Sweden's SHL. In 53 games he scored 6 goals with 11 assists and was +10 with 20 penalty minutes. Lulea, after finishing fourth in the regular season, advanced to the SHL Finals against regular season champion Skelleftea. Gunnarsson scored 3 goals with 2 assists and was -7 with 2 penalty minutes in 15 playoff games.

Talent Analysis

A big, offensively oriented defenseman who has good mobility for his size. He is only average in terms of defensive zone coverages and could be more aggressive by NHL standards.

Future

Played second-pairing minutes for a good Lulea team and put up some points. He is still under contract to the Swedish club through 2014.

Photo: First-year pro Erik Haula, who has four points in five AHL games this season, represents the depth of talent that the Wild have at the pro level (courtesy of Jason Mowry/Icon SMI)

The Minnesota Wild has taken an aggressive approach in free agency and trade at the NHL level, adding a franchise defenseman in Ryan Suter, and bolstering its forward corps with legitimate NHL stars in Zach Parise and Jason Pominville and a solid defensive presence in Matt Cooke. The confidence to make these moves was in part due to a group of prospects who seemed ready to come in and provide support during their cheaper entry-level contract years.

Photo: The Wild have many top prospects competing for roster spots in the NHL this season, even 19-year-old defenseman Matt Dumba is still in the mix (courtesy of Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Over the last few draft classes, Chuck Fletcher and company have shown Wild fans evidence of a new developmental approach. With a good cluster of young guys already in place, there has been a shift toward drafting players who will take an extra year or two to arrive as viable prospects.

Photo: One of several Wild prospects to see significant ice time in the postseason, Charlie Coyle skated on the Wild’s top line and earned powerplay time in the playoffs (courtesy of Vincent Muzik/Icon SMI)

Most of the Wild's prospect group saw at least some postseason action this year. While the pro teams, the Minnesota Wild and Houston Aeros, did not have much success, a handful of prospects experienced deep playoff runs that should help prepare them as players to compete for hockey's ultimate prize.

Photo: Winger Mario Lucia led Notre Dame’s freshmen in goals and points despite missing the early part of the season with a broken leg (courtesy of Tim G. Zechar / Icon SMI)

Minnesota's college hockey tradition has always been a strong part of its identity as a state, so it is no wonder that the Wild organization relies on the NCAA to bring some of its prospects along. Another major source of identity is Europe, where the Wild has looked to Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden many times in the past. Developmental strategies vary by coaching staffs, but the Minnesota Wild look to get players into situations that will best enhance their individual styles, giving each young man the opportunities he needs for personal and professional development.

Photo: Jonas Brodin is one of several prospects making an impact for first-place Minnesota, having stepped directly into a top-pairing role in his rookie season (courtesy of Kathleen Hinkel/Icon SMI)

The Wild's controlled rebuilding process is entering a new phase this season, introducing its top prospects into the NHL in sheltered roles. Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, Jason Zucker, Johan Larsson, and Mikael Granlund have all made their NHL debuts, with various degrees of immersion and success. The Minnesota Wild has been careful to balance experience and youth this year, but there are plenty of players in the organization who may be asked to grow quickly in the next seasons to make the most of the opportunity at hand.